Every student job develops valuable skills. This toolkit helps you identify and communicate them.
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How Do I Use This Toolkit?
As a Student Employee
No matter what your desired career path is, the work you do at UW–Madison is valuable and applicable to your future. The following career prompts were created to help you recognize, define, and refine your student employment experience into marketable skills.
The results from this toolkit can also inform a conversation with your supervisor about how they can support your career development and help fill gaps in your experience.
For Supervisors
This toolkit helps student employees identify and communicate how their campus job relates to their future careers. Encourage students to review this toolkit before meeting with you so it can guide meaningful career development conversations.
Using AI Effectively
This guide includes AI prompt samples that can help you connect your current responsibilities to future career opportunities.
AI should:
- Help you reflect on your experiences
- Improve how you describe your skills
- Increase confidence in discussing your work
AI should NOT:
- Replace your authentic voice
- Create experiences you did not have
- Write your final materials without your review
For Supervisors
AI does not replace conversations with students. Instead, it serves as a tool for reflection, language development, and confidence-building. Encourage students to question, personalize, and refine AI-generated responses.
Prompts
Goal: Determine concise, marketable descriptions of skills gained from your role.
Initial Prompt
I am currently a student employee working as a [job title] and my role consists of [job description]. What are some transferable skills from this position I can use in my future career [career path]?
Tip: The more detailed information you provide about your role, the stronger and more relevant the results will be.
Follow-Up Prompt
Can you elaborate with more detail on how the skills listed correlate with skills in [future career/role]?
Goal: Transform your student employment experiences into strong resume content.
Initial Prompt
Write concise, effective resume points that convey my work as a [job title]. My job consists of [job experiences or skills].
Follow-Up Prompt
Please tailor the resume points to be relevant for [desired career path or job position] and incorporate how these experiences led to [specific accomplishments or outcomes].
Goal: Practice discussing your student employment experience in interviews.
Initial Prompt
As a student worker working as a [current job title], how should I frame my skills and experiences in an interview for [desired position]? At my student job I [job experiences or skills].
Follow-Up Prompt
Give me a list of example scenarios and practice questions in which I can discuss how these skills translate to a role like [job position].
Example Prompts
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Pyle Caterer → Marketing
Initial Prompt
I am currently a student employee working as a Caterer (Food Service Support Staff) at the Pyle Center and my role consists of Retrieving, restocking, and replenishing food and supplies. Prepare and present food items for buffets and meals. Clean and prepare work and storage areas. Attend to customer’s food and beverage needs during a catered event Set up and take down serving lines, tables, or portable units Clean, slice, and season ingredients. Help prepare for the next day’s production. Assist permanent food service staff with preparing a variety of hot and cold foods (i.e. salads, sandwiches, appetizers, baked goods, pre-dishing meals, etc). What are some transferable skills from this position I can use in my future career in marketing?”
Follow-up Prompt
Can you elaborate with more detail on how the skills listed correlate with skills in marketing?
I am currently a student employee working as a Caterer (Food Service Support Staff) at the Pyle Center and my role consists of Retrieving, restocking, and replenishing food and supplies. Prepare and present food items for buffets and meals. Clean and prepare work and storage areas. Attend to customer’s food and beverage needs during a catered event Set up and take down serving lines, tables, or portable units Clean, slice, and season ingredients. Help prepare for the next day’s production. Assist permanent food service staff with preparing a variety of hot and cold foods (i.e. salads, sandwiches, appetizers, baked goods, pre-dishing meals, etc). What are some transferable skills from this position I can use in my future career in marketing?”
Follow-up Prompt
Can you elaborate with more detail on how the skills listed correlate with skills in marketing?
RecWell Operations Attendant → Biomedical Engineering
Initial Prompt
I am currently a student employee working as a RecWell Operations Attendant and my role consists of Operations Attendants play an integral role in overseeing the daily operations of the Nicholas Recreation Center and Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center. This position works to maintain safe and welcoming spaces through member interaction and policy enforcement, equipment cleaning, and risk management. Operations Attendants gain skills and experience pertaining to customer service, task management, problem solving, as well as effective and efficient communication. What are some transferable skills from this position I can use in my future career in biomedical engineering.
Follow-up Prompt
Please tailor the resume points to be relevant for biomedical engineering.
Library DoIT Help Desk Worker → Business Analytics
Initial Prompt
I am currently a student employee working as a Library IT Help Desk Technician and my role consists of knowledge of the Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows operating systems, working both within a team context and independently, and work with other student technicians supporting library technologies and spaces to accomplish tasks in a timely manner. I assist with the resolution of problems that come into the help desk from library staff, faculty, researchers, and students. Other support duties include desktop hardware and software, study room technologies, poster printing operations, and equipment (laptops, cameras, etc.) checkout to the student body. I support and troubleshoot library technology with courteous customer service. What are some transferable skills from this position I can use in my future career in business analytics.
Follow-up Prompt
Please tailor the resume points to be relevant for business analytics-related applications.